Introduction
Two and a half years after the pitiful release of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, I have decided to take a fresh look at what has become of Brad's star child.
Firstly, I am not, nor have ever been, anti-SOE, but most everyone agrees: the antics of Sony's acquisition of Sigil and Vanguard were more than questionable. However, I must admit that after actually playing the game again, I am surprisingly impressed with what the guys and gals over at SOE have done with the it. From a performance standpoint, there are far fewer crashes and bugs, as well as significantly less latency. Next, as far as gameplay goes, I felt as if I had stepped through a giant game-portal into EQ1 v.2.0. Though not all the same magic of our beloved first MMO was there, the huge sand box feel was definitely there, and it was absolutely apparent that Vanguard had been modeled greatly from EverQuest.
The New and Improved Vanguard: Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent graphics | Though vastly improved, there are still some annoying bugs |
| Improved performance | Though many say the population is slowly growing, it is not near what many MMO's of today have |
| Tons of 1-50 content | Not much to do right now at 50-55 |
| Very mature and loyal playerbase | SOE funding for the game is much less than that of their other titles |
| Truely unique features | |
| Carefully designed chunks create an amazing dungeon experience | |
| More quests to do than can ever be done | |
| Well-balanced classes and player roles | |
| Three different spheres of advancement: adventuring, crafting, and diplomacy | |
| Engaging crafting system | |
| Player-owned ships and housing | |
| Incredibly huge, detailed world which can be traveled via the Rift system, running, or by mount |
Conclusion
I encourage anyone reading this who is interested to try out Vanguard and see for yourself how much it has improved. One thing is for sure--you will find me on Seradon enjoying this game that is becoming more and more polished with every patch.
To check out the 14-day free trial for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, follow this link: vanguard.station.sony.com/isleofdawn/
Cheers!
-Aarinak
